Badminton Doubles – Serve Return

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Previously we discussed the serve in doubles. I discussed the need to have a good low serve in badminton, in order to maintain your strategic advantage from the initial stages of the rally. Below we will discuss what shots give you the advantage when playing a serve return.

Ready Position For Serve Return

How you position yourself to receive serve varies somewhat between players. We all have little nuances of how we stand and where we hold a racket in the serve return situation.

Professional players stand extremely close to the service line with their body pointing in a forward direction and the racket ahead of their body and raised. Their knees are bent, allowing for a lower centre of gravity and easier mobility to the shuttle. Their non-racket leg leads their stance and racket leg is behind them with bodyweight leaning forward. This starting position allows the player to move forward quickly to attack the shuttle. The leg position of the player allows them to also move back quickly to any potential flick serve.

Image: BWF Youtube Channel
Ready To Receive Serve

As amateur players, we might not all be so confident in biasing our position so far forward. This is due to the possibility of the flick. Professional plays have the explosive power and strength to be able to move back quickly should a flick come. There are two things we can do to counter this. Either; build up the strength in your legs through weight training, or the more common approach, stand a little further back from the service line.

Your serve return position on the court will depend on your own abilities. If you are confident in your ability to be able to retrieve a flick serve effectively, then you can move your position more towards the net. If you feel less confident, you can move your position a little further back from the service line. The drawback of this is now you are not able to take the shuttle as early as possible in order to play an attacking shot.

Racket Position

It’s also important to consider your racket position. In the serve return situation, the worst place you can keep your racket is below net height.  There are three reasons for this:

  1. It takes time for your racket to travel up from a down position, delaying your reply to the serve.
  2. If your racket is low you cannot attack the shuttle.
  3. It is more likely you will have to lift the shuttle.

Your racket should be raised above net height. This allows you to quickly intercept the path of the shuttle and hit in a downward direction. This also allows for the greatest variety of shot choices. If you misjudge the serve or are flicked, it is quicker to adjust your racket from this position too.

Serve Return

Response To The Straight Low Serve

The straight low serve in badminton is the most likely serve that will be played by your opponent. The replies you can play depends on how quickly you are able to move towards the shuttle. Ideally, you are able to take it above the net however if they have a good serve this will not always be possible. In all situations, you should vary your shot choice so you do not become predictable.

Taking The Shuttle Above The Net

Taking the shuttle from this position gives you the greatest potential to attack the shuttle.

A loose serve should be punished immediately with a kill. This can be directed almost anywhere in the court and has a high success rate given the proximity to the net.

If the serve is a little tighter to the net but you are able to take it early there are several options available to you.

1. Push into the body of the server. The server has basically no time to react to the shuttle and can do little more than get out of the way. For the rear court opponent, the shuttle is obscured by the server. Normally the speed of your push combined with the placement makes it difficult for them to react. This means when the shuttle finally is seen by them, they have limited time to move their racket into position to play a good shot.  If it is a good push the usual result is either a winning shot or a weak return to the net which the server should kill off.

2. Push into the rear corners. The most direct corner will be the diagonal from where you are receiving serve. This allows for the most direct attack and gives opponents less time. This shot will be too fast for the server to intercept but also wide enough that the rear court opponent may struggle to reach it to play a shot which pressurises you. Playing to the diagonal also means your opponent’s reply is likely to be a straight return which you can anticipate at the net.

3. Straight block to the net. Either a net shot or a forehand block so the shuttle falls close to the net. The opponent then has only the option to lift or play a net shot in return. You should be threatening the net once you have played your block, killing off any weak replies or forcing them to lift the shuttle.

4. Guiding shuttle into the trams in the forecourt. Playing the shuttle close to the net within the tramlines means that the opponent will have to reach for the shuttle. Unless they anticipate your shot, they will be taking the shuttle from below net height which only really gives them the option of the lift. This shot requires a little softer touch. A common error of this shot is hitting it wide.

5. Guiding the shuttle into the trams in the midcourt court areas. Commonly seen in mixed doubles and also effective in levels. The shuttle is pushed wide into the mid court areas just behind the front court player but just in front of the rear court player. This often causes confusion in partnerships of who should take that shot. The rear court player may be expecting the front court player to intercept it but the front court player leaves it for the rear court player. This delays the rear court players shot and they will be more likely to lift the shuttle.

Hendra Setiawan is a great example of taking the serve early from above the net and putting pressure on opponents.

Setiawan’s serve return is excellent

Taking The Shuttle Below The Net

Let’s assume the opponents serve is so good, it is difficult to attack the shuttle. You should also bear in mind that when the shuttle is below net height. It has to travel upwards to clear the net. This puts you in a more vulnerable position.

1. Play back straight to the net. Bear in mind that the shuttle is travelling at a different trajectory than it would when you would usually play a net shot.  Therefore it might be more difficult to keep it tighter to the net. However, this is a good option if you can ascertain your opponent is not fast or threatening at front of court. You can use this to your advantage to regain control. However, if your opponent is quick at the net they will be looking for this reply.

2. A net shot to the trams. This is another option but much harder to control.  If you consider the flight path of the straight shot, it can only go from down to up. However, playing a shuttle to the trams from below net height means the shuttle has a little more time to travel upwards without crossing the net and may fall just beyond it. Two problems with this.  The shuttle takes longer to travel from the racket and gives more time to players looking to kill off that shot. Strong net players will usually be able to pounce on these shots.

The second is that it requires a very deft touch to play the shot accurately. At the professional level, you very rarely see this shot because players are so aggressive at the net they will attack anything that gives them time to.

3. Lift. By lifting the shuttle you are giving away the attack to the opponents. Considering the situation, it might be better to give the attack to your opponents then lose the point outright. A good lift will give you time to get back into a defensive position. From here you can try to win back the initiative. Lifting is not the ideal situation but by continuing the rally, there’s a higher chance of winning the point.

Responses To A Wide Serve

Let’s consider your opponent serves out wide to the tramlines. A lot of the time the receiver will take this below the net as they weren’t ready for it. If the service is loose and you can intercept it at above net height, then all the shots available are the same as the low straight serve, except there are now more angles available to you to play these shots. As a rule, I would play straight or into the body of the opponents but never cross court.

If you play a fast drive or push cross court. The rear court player Can simply drive the shuttle back straight into the open space.

From Below The Net – Wide Serve Reponses

1. Straight push. A straight push could easily be intercepted by the front court player. This is because the shuttle has to travel upwards and doesn’t have the same pace to it as a drive for example

2. Straight/cross court lift. A straight lift means the smash would be directed towards you. A cross-court lift would mean the smash is more likely to be aimed at your partner. Lifting straight is the better option if you are strong in defence. The shuttle travels less distance and is more likely to reach the back tram lines. The cross-court has to travel a slightly longer distance and is slightly more difficult to play. You might not get the correct length on it, making your partner vulnerable to the straight smash.

3. Cross court net. A very ambitious shot. If you pull this off it looks great! It is difficult to play a tight cross-court net from this position. It also takes more time for the shuttle to travel cross-court. This makes it susceptible to the shuttle being killed. Safer to play a lift.

Return Of The Flick Serve

Return of the Flick depends on how ready you are to receive it.

1. Smash. This is the best option if you anticipate the Flick serve. Straight away you can get on the attack and your opponents have less time to react as the flick does not have the same length and height as a lift.

2. Drop. The opponent, seeing you’re off balance from the flick could stand at the net waiting to kill this shot. Equally the server upon flicking might move back after serving, expecting a smash. There isn’t much time to look when you get flicked so it’s almost 50/50 whether it’s the right shot to play. This is why it’s so important to vary your shot to keep your opponents guessing.

3. Clear. This is the best option if you are late to the shuttle and thrown off balance. From this position, it’s hard to get behind the shuttle to play a quality smash or drop so the best option is to clear the shuttle. A good cross-court clear will give you time to get back into position and move the attack towards your partner who is in a better position to prepare themselves defensively than you.

In this video, you will see some common responses to the flick serve (and some unorthodox ones)!

In conclusion, the best option if possible is to take the shuttle early On the return of serve and above net height. This gives you the ability to play a variety of shots which all give you an easy point or strategic advantage of the lift from the opponent.

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